Closing arguments set for Baltimore cop tried in Freddie Gray death

The trial of a Baltimore police officer charged in the 2015 death of black detainee Freddie Gray is set for closing arguments on Thursday, with a decision to come early next week in the high-profile case.

Officer Edward Nero, 30, is the second officer to go on trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court over Gray’s death from a broken neck suffered while in custody inside a police van.

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Gray’s death in April 2015 triggered rioting and protests in the majority-black U.S. Middle Atlantic city. It was also a key incident in fueling the Black Lives Matter movement.

Nero was among three bicycle officers who chased Gray, 25, after he fled unprovoked in a high-crime area. Gray was arrested and bundled into the transport van while shackled, but was not seatbelted in place as required by department policy.

During the week-long trial, prosecutors contended that Nero pursued Gray without probable cause and failed to secure Gray in the van.

But lawyers for Nero have argued that he was ill-trained in securing detainees. They also say he had little to do with Gray’s arrest and never touched him except when he tried to help him find an asthma inhaler.